Copyright controlled materials. Cannot be reprinted without permission of the publisher.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.
There's gluten in cake,
And in many ice creams, too.

The center piece of so many birthday parties seems to be gluten. As a result, what should be a joyous celebration can turn your stomach into knots.

Relax. There is no reason that your child should miss the wonder of birthday parties--whether they're his own or someone else's. A little preparation will ensure your child will have a great time, regardless of the food served.

School parties can catch you off guard, because you're focusing on homework and class activities, not other kids' birthdays. Be aware that most kids have some sort of a celebration in school, so be sure to get a list of the birthdays of all the children in your child's class at the beginning of the school year. Mark them on your calendar right away, or you're sure to forget one, and you'll drown in guilt when your child gets home from school that day complaining that all the other kids got cupcakes. If one of the children's birthdays falls on a weekend, call the parent in advance to see if they plan to do the class celebration on Friday or Monday.

Going to parties shouldn't be a problem, either, even though these days it seems that birthday party is synonymous with pizza. That's okay, especially if you've perfected a pizza recipe for your child, or have found a good source of mail-order pre-prepared pizza. Bring your child's pizza, as well as a gluten-free cupcake or other special treat, and give it to the adult in charge. Make sure they understand how crucial it is that your child be given his special food, and ask them to be inconspicuous about giving it to him. Remember, too that kids are there for the celebration and the fun, not for the food!

If the party is being held a restaurant, bowling alley, or fun zone, you can still find out in advance what will be served, and you can send a similar meal for your child. If the restaurant happens to serve hamburgers, salads, or other gluten-free meals, you may be able to arrange with the host parents for your child to get one of the gluten-free items on the menu.

If it's your own child's birthday party, plan to have hot dogs or hamburgers, or another gluten-free favorite. I don't recommend serving a gluten-free cake, even if you make the most awesome-to-die-for-gluten-free cake in the entire universe Chances are, there will be one kid--probably the same kid who feels obliged to tell all the other kids at school that there isn't a tooth fairy--who will decide that he doesn't like the cake, and won't exactly be diplomatic in voicing his disapproval. You definitely don't want to cause your child the embarrassment he is likely to feel when that one child makes a scene.

So you may not want to take the chance. Serve frozen ice cream bars, or arrange in advance for individual hot fudge sundaes to be made by your local ice cream or frozen yogurt shop. The kids will love the change of pace!

Seasonal Holidays
Many candy manufacturers market seasonal items, and can verify that they are gluten-free. Do your homework in advance, and you will have lists of holiday candies that your child can eat. Stock up in advance, so that you're prepared to do the treat trade when your child brings home candy that he can't eat.

Christmas
It seems like every Christmas, elves appear from nowhere, handing out candy canes like they were, well, candy! Unfortunately, most come without a label, and are therefore no-nos.

Even if you find candy canes with ingredients listed and they appear to be gluten-free, teach your child to rinse the candy cane off before eating it. Washing it makes a gooey, sticky mess, but some candy canes are rolled in flour so that the plastic won't stick, and it's important to dissolve the outer layer of candy away, just in case.

There are several brands of candy canes that are verified to be gluten-free. Stock up on them and carry a few with you, so that when a well-meaning elf slips your child a candy cane, you'll be prepared to trade treats.

Here's the really good news: Little Timmy won't have to slip his piece of fruit cake into a napkin to feed to the dog under the table...he can just politely decline, reminding Aunt Betsy that hers is the most fabulous fruit cake in the world, but he can't eat it because it's loaded with gluten.

Easter
Once again, people with the best of intentions will be handing your child goodies laden with gluten. Be prepared with a well-stocked pantry so that you can do the treat trade. For better or for worse, every grocery store is loaded with commercial-brand candies, so that you can fill those Easter baskets with all sorts of safe treats.

Halloween
Take the time in September to find out which popular Halloween candies are safe. Chapter 13 lists many candies that were safe when this book went to print, but remember, just because something was safe last year doesn't mean it's okay this year. If your child is old enough, make sure he knows which candies he can and can't eat, because you can bet that he'll itching to open his treats even before he's left the doorstep and yelled the obligatory thank-you over his shoulder. Make sure younger children understand that an adult needs to check the candy before they can eat it.

Keep a treat-trade basket at home, so that your child can make an even trade for the candies he gets that are not gluten-free. Then do what all parents do, and deplete his stash slowly enough that he doesn't notice, but quickly enough that the fights over candy before dinner can end and familial peace be restored.

And what about the traditional Halloween candied or caramel apples? Thankfully, many recipes for caramel coating and even the prepackaged coatings that you can buy at the grocery store are gluten-free. But you still need to check the labels and call the manufacturer. You may even want to volunteer to be the mom or dad who provides caramel apples for the Halloween party at school or your house of worship, so that you know for sure.

Passover
Passover is a blessed event, whether you're Jewish or not. That's because Passover is the only holiday that is celebrated almost entirely gluten-free!

Chametz (wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt) is forbidden during the Passover season, so foods marked Kosher for Passover are gluten-free, with one exception. Matzo (Matzah) is made with wheat and water, and is permitted. It is also ground into matzo flour matzo meal, so avoid any product that contains matzo or cake flour.

Kosher products always have very clearly marked labels, so it's easy to identify all ingredients.